Dinnertime
by Tasogare-Taichou
Summary: Chouji, Ino, Akimichi family. Just a fun little gen-fic that gives a little insight into dinnertime at the Akimichi estate.


Title: Dinnertime  
Fandom: Naruto  
Pairing/Characters: Akimichi clan, though if you squint I suppose you could assume some v. faint InoxChouji.  
Genre: General  
Rating: G

"That is a LOT of food...."

Blinking in surprise, Chouji looked up from where he was busily stirring a large pot of noodles to fix brown eyes on Ino's disbelieving stare. Following her gaze, he let his eyes wander over the collected vegetables on the large wooden table, taking in the brilliant red of the tomatoes, the deep green of the peppers and cucumbers, even the vibrant yellows and oranges of peppers set off each other splendidly in a mixture of hues that was -- in Chouji's opinion, at least -- breathtaking. There were other colours represented too, from the rich purple of the onions to the fushia of beets, even the towering forms of the daikon in their neatly-tied bundle made a veritable rainbow of nutrition.

"Is it? I didn't think it seemed like all that much...."

With a slight shrug, the russett-haired Chuunin smiled at his teammate and turned back to the task at hand, stirring the noodles with a slow, even motion, his attention focused on the wheaten strands as though he were a surgeon performing an operation of the utmost risk. Ino cracked a faint smile at the determined, focused look on the young man's face. She couldn't help but be amused, he _did_ make a rather funny sight as he puttered around the kitchen in an apron, his long chestnut hair tied back in a thick ponytail at the nape of his neck and a scarf over his head. Giggling slightly, she snatched up a carrot from the pile, nibbling on the end of it as she watched him lift one single noodle from the pot and raise it up in front of his face.

"You sure like to cook, Chouji."

The red-garbed man nodded as he inspected the noodle. before frowning and dropping the apparently offensive piece of pasta into the trash. Ino raised an eyebrow -- it looked perfectly fine to her, but then she wasn't the cook here -- before leaning back on her hands only to nearly overbalance herself. Teetering on the tall stool, her impending fall was stopped by the clap of a large hand on her shoulder that steadied her. Glancing up with a grateful sigh, she smiled at the grinning face peering down at her.

"Thank you, Chouza-san."

The big man shook his head with a laugh before stepping around the platinum-haired girl and carefully setting a basket of large brown eggs on the table amidst the vegetables. Popping a turnip into his mouth, Chouza rinsed his hands at the wide porcelain sink, scrubbing off the dirt of the days' mission before he wiped his hands on a convenient towel.

"Don't worry about it, Ino-chan. Wouldn't want you to fall and hurt yourself. And as to your question, he does indeed! How're the noodles coming, son?"

He easily turned his attention to Chouji, stepping over beside his son to peer into the large copper kettle with the same discerning eye. Ino watched the scene, marveling to herself at the similarity. They were so alike, the Akimichi father and son, staring down at the bubbling water as though mesmerized by the slow spin of the noodles as they made their way around the smooth interior of the pot, both gazes studying the flow of the pasta. Chouza was a head taller than his son, though she knew Chouji was catching up fast. But that wasn't the only similarity. They had the same round, chubby-cheeked soft faces, the same warm brown eyes, the same laughing disposition. They even _looked_ alike with their manes of long, almost-shaggy hair held back by matching hitai-ate.

Seemingly satisfied with the quality of the thin pasta strands, Chouza nodded to himself and took a step to the side, pulling open a drawer below the counter to set a large knife on the cutting board as he grabbed another apron from the wall hook. Snapping the white cotton with the flourish of a practiced chef, he wrapped it around his waist before grabbing the knife and beginning to slice vegetables with an easy grace. It was fascinating, in a way, the way those same thick fingers nimbly handled the blade, rendering carrots, zucchini, peppers, daikon into delicate thin layers. The vegetables were deposited into a large shallow wok with a flash of oil that flamed for a moment before Chouza's large hand wrapped around the handle, sending them skidding around the interior of the wok as a delectable odor arose.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Ino watched in rapt fascination as a feast fit for a king emerged in front of her. It was only ramen, she knew that perfectly well, but in the Akimichi kitchen, there was no such thing as 'just' when it came to food. Cocking her head to the side, she fidgeted a bit in her small island of space at the end of the counter. There was so much food.... The only thought in the girl's mind as she beheld an entire side of beef wheeled in on a large trolly, the round and smiling figure of Chouji's mother industrially pushing the meat towards the counter before she began to carve thin strips off of the steaming meat, arranging them delicately in a spiral pattern on the enormous serving dish. Glancing up, the woman's green eyes caught sight of Ino and she simpered before waggling fingers.

"Hello, Ino dear! Are you joining us for dinner? If I had known, I would have cooked more!"

Smiling, the teen couldn't help but shake her head slightly. More? Obviously that was a joke, seeing as they already had enough food to feed a small army, but then it was Kyouko after all.

"That's alright, Kyouko-san. Besides, I wouldn't want to impose on your company tonight."

Three heads raised at that, all three faces bearing the same confused look. Ino drew back, unsure what she'd said that had perhaps offended them, hands upraised in front of her face.

"I just.... I thought with all the food...."

Chouji's eyes widened with understanding and he laughed, carefully adding the vegetables to another pot of simmering soup-base before he stirred and tasted it.

"Don't be silly, Ino. If we were having company, we would have cooked extra."


End file.
